Published on Thursday, April 7th, 2011 by LisaDiane
Joey found this poster, and thought I might like to have it for my office. I really love it, and am bummed that I will be out of town, and so will not get to spend time in my office for a whole week! It was good encouragement today. I had a really big deadline for work this week, and I am taking off work tomorrow, so I had to fit everything in today! I managed it, in the end.
Tomorrow morning early I am off to Chicago to meet up with Laura, and see her sing.
While I was getting ready to take the photo of the poster, Elanor came and sat next to me. KatyDog used to cross her paws like this, and recently Elanor has started. She looked so cute, I had to take a picture.
Published on Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 by LisaDiane
2011 is the tenth year that I have been with my company. I started working as a temp for my current company in January 2001. I was hired on as a full time employee on 09 April 2001. So my official anniversary is in a couple more weeks, but my team celebrated a little early.
My friend Amy made a slide show with pictures of me, and quotes from my colleagues about me. My manager had flowers delivered, 10 irises, one for each year. The iris color is almost the same as my company’s logo color. My team sent a box of cupcakes – they even knew to order yellow cake with chocolate frosting. The cupcake delivery guy took a picture of Joey when he made the delivery!
Employees who reach ten years at my company can shop from a list of service award gifts. I ordered a purse – no big surprise there!
It is odd to think about having been at the company so long, especially when I thought I was just going on a temp job! I have had ten managers, nine desk locations (cube and office), and nine titles over the years. I have had the pleasure of working with some really wonderful people. I met people who started out as colleagues, and have come to be treasured friends. While I am sometimes frustrated with individual situations, overall, I am glad I found my company. I have developed many new skills, traveled the world, and found a career that I had never even imagined existed.
Published on Friday, February 11th, 2011 by LisaDiane
Back in at the end of 2010 Joey did a bunch of work to get Etherlimits transferred to the latest version of WordPress. The day he finished, I posted to share that news with the world. I was so excited! The update was done just in time for the new year, and I was thinking how awesome it was that I could start the new year with a blank page, so to speak.
Etherlimits had other ideas. I could not log in. I could visit the public side of Etherlimits, but when I went to the log in screen and entered my user name and password the screen would just refresh. It did not even say that I had the wrong password, just blank out what I had entered and give me the blank log in screen again.
Joey worked on it for awhile. He thought it might be Firefox. He played with some of the code. He changed my password. During the time it was not working I even got a new computer (not because the blog wasn’t working, but that is another story), and I still could not log in!
Today Joey went on the war path to root out the bad code that was causing the problem. As you can tell by the fact that I am posting, he was successful! I am so happy to have my blog back and working! Hopefully you will be hearing more from me now. No, for real this time.
Published on Wednesday, October 13th, 2010 by LisaDiane
I just got an e-mail from Burke, and I must tell the universe… After ten years together, Burke and Michele got married on Sunday, 10 October 2010!
The opening line of his e-mail was, “Since 10/10/10 is 42 [in binary], it seemed like a good day to elope. So we did! I *KNOW*! I was surprised, too!”
Congrats and best wishes to the newlyweds!
Published on Sunday, February 14th, 2010 by LisaDiane
Well, I was sad about not traveling much in 2009. Turns out I got really used to having a regular schedule, and not having to worry about leaving town to plan haircuts and knitting dates, etc.
I am back in the classroom, which I love, and back on the road, which is harder than I remembered! I had back to back trips to North Carolina in January, and now I am heading back to Raleigh. I will go to Wilmington the first week of March, and possibly stay through 19 March!
Hopefully this means lots of airline and hotel points, and some solid knitting time! I must sign off so that I can pack for my trip tomorrow…
Published on Monday, January 18th, 2010 by LisaDiane
On the last leg of our crazy back and forth to Port Arthur on Saturday, I was driving, and by the end I was really tired.
Joey was a champ at keeping me awake. He began reading excerpts from Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass. This was prompted by the Cheshire Cat moon that was in the sky that night. You know, a crescent moon, that looks like the Cheshire Cat’s crazy grin with no head or body.
Eventually we got to The Jabberwock. Joey has this poem memorized, and as he read it, I began repeating it back to him – working to get it all memorized. By the time we made it home, I had recited it correctly without assistance. More importantly, I did not fall asleep while driving.
Yesterday we stopped by the Springfield/Serrins home to visit our godson on his birthday, and give him his present. He is six years old! While we were there, I recited the poem for Debra and Rachel. Hopefully they will vouch for the fact that I managed to say the whole thing without assistance, and very few mistakes.
I have included the poem here for anyone who is unfamiliar with it, and those who just want to read it again. I would like to point out, that since I was driving when I memorized the poem, I did not read it at all. In fact, other than the time I read Through the Looking Glass as a kid, typing the poem up right now is the first time I have seen it in print! Proof, in case anyone missed this fact, that I am an auditory learner. Joey was truly disturbed that I was able to memorize the whole thing by hearing it. Well, turn about is fair play – I completely dumbfounded by the fact that he can remember everything he ever reads!
The Jaberwocky by Lewis Carroll
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Published on Monday, August 3rd, 2009 by LisaDiane
My co-worker and friend, Jamie, has a pet ferret named Char Lee Charcoal. He has been quite ill recently, and passed away Saturday. I know many of you have four-footed, furry “children”, and can sympathize with the pain of losing a beloved pet. Please keep Jamie and Char Lee in your prayers.
Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
by Mary Elizabeth Frye |
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Published on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 by LisaDiane
It is against the company policy for me to say the name of my company, or give any information that could give away where I work. I will not tell you the actual name of the relational database that I train people at my company to use, however, I will tell you that its name is a long acronym, that is quite silly. I am fairly certain that someone came up with the word, and reverse engineered it into an acronym! For this post (and any future posts on the subject) let us refer to the system as WATERFALL. I have also changed the names of the people, and groups that are referenced in the letter. Anything in italics has been changed. I tried to make the substitutions interesting and fun, but the real point is to keep me from getting in trouble!
Back in January I was asked to take on the job of being the Global Lead Trainer for the relational database my company uses. Over the past month it has become clear that not everyone in the company was aware of that fact. My boss wrote the following letter to clarify the situation.
Hi all,
Camelia and I wanted to send a formal communication regarding LisaDiane’s role with WATERFALL as it relates to training and let you know she can be contacted directly for training needs related to WATERFALL.
As many of you know, LisaDiane has taken the lead from a training stand point in multiple WATERFALL projects over the past five years. She has worked on reviewing and revising WATERFALL training materials since the system was launched in 2004. She has organized the addition of data, system upgrades, and the baselines for the WATERFALL Training Environment since joining TKO in 2005. She has trained many of the WATERFALL trainers around the world. At Linnie Exemplar’s request, LisaDiane has served as the training representative for WATERFALL impact analysis since 2006. She taught large portions of the R3 T3 in September 2007. During 2008, and continuing to the present, LisaDiane has been involved with the WATERFALL reimplementation project. Most recently, she worked with Charlene Vacillare to lead the training portion of the DogS initiative.
Due to her abundance of experience with WATERFALL, LisaDiane has taken on the role of Lead Trainer for Global WATERFALL Training. In this position, LisaDiane is responsible for coordinating WATERFALL related training initiatives, including creation and revision of training materials. Wherever possible we want new WATERFALL training solutions to be global and LisaDiane will assist us with this. She represents the global training team on the WATERFALL Organic Greens (WOG) each week. She meets with training representatives from each region on a regular basis in order to ensure consistency of message, and share information regarding upcoming changes and initiatives relating to WATERFALL. LisaDiane meets with Camelia regularly to share information on all WATERFALL issues and initiatives, as Camelia is the Electric [Light] Orchestra Committee (EOC) representative. LisaDiane continues to perform the tasks related to impact analysis, and managing the Training Environment.
LisaDiane remains a Training Specialist in TKO offering all of the trainings she always has offered, but this formalizes her other multiple responsibilities related to WATERFALL. Again, feel free to contact her directly for any WATERFALL related training needs.
Please do not hesitate to contact Camelia or myself with any questions or concerns.
I just had to share. I am Queen of Waterfall Training! It seems sort of ridiculous with all the replacements, but in truth it is a pretty big honor, and I am really proud. Shameless, I know, but I brag about other people on my blog occationally, so why not myself?
Published on Monday, June 8th, 2009 by LisaDiane
Some people make resolutions in January. I have waited until June. Either I am very behind on the resolution making for 2009, or very early for 2010 – take your pick.
I did a cleanse under the supervision of my accupunturist at the end of May. It was not one of the starve yourself and drink a mixture of honey, lemon juice and water cleanses – I literally could not stomach that! This cleanse requires you to eat fruit, raw or very lightly cooked vegetables, vegetable broth, fruit and vegetable juices. You are actually supposed to drink as much of the liquid as you can hold, so you feel oddly full all the time! My one complaint was that I had to chew so much during the five days I did the cleanse! Day three was the worst – the third or fourth day is when your body realizes that all the liquid in your system is not a fluke, and decides to clean house, dumping all the toxins out of your system. I will not describe all the results of the toxins leaving your body, but I will say that I had a splitting head ache for about six or seven hours. I very much appreciated a leisurely visit to the Serrins-Springfield household. Spending time with friends who were willing to hang out with me, even when I felt pretty terrible was wonderful. Debra even made a special steamed version of the vegetables so that I could join the family for dinner!
The good news? when I woke up on day four, I felt amazingly refreshed and rested. By the end of the cleanse my appatite was significantly reduced, and my craving for sweets is not nearly as strong. My skin is so hydrated that when I get scratched by a dog, or my own clumsiness, there is almost no mark! Karen was very pleased with my progress through the cleanse. I am pretty excited myself.
I decided that it would be a good idea to continue to eat well after my cleanse. Karen says my stomach will stay small as long as I do not stuff myself three times in quick succession (based on much anacdotal evidence). I am working on eating several small meals five or six times a day. This is probably easier for me than for most people, since I am lucky enough to work from home most days.
I am back to tracking my calories and nutrients on NutriMirror, which is a free website that helps you keep up with your food intake and exercise. NutriMirror uses the food you log to calculate how much of a variety of substances such as calcium, vitamin C, iron, cholesterol, fat, carbs, etc. you take in through food or supplements. It displays this information in graph form. For substances you should have a certain amount of, say calcium, the graph is red until you consume enough of that substance during the day. For substances that you only want a limited amount of, say sodium, the graph starts green, and turns red if you consume too much. The goal is to have everything on the graph green. I have come very close to all green on a few days – taking a multi-vitamin usually puts me over the top on the nutrients I need, but I have been trying to get as much as possible through food. I have been slightly low on both iron and calcium. I would appreciate suggestions of foods that will fill these gaps.
My workout habits have not been as stellar as my eating habits, which is very backward for me! I have not met my workout goals for the past couple of weeks, and I have not worked out regularly since before I went to Singapore! I will go work out with Debra tomorrow morning, so that will be a fresh start! I am going to aim for 1000 minutes in the month of June. I only did 120 minutes last week, but I think I can step it up to 300 minutes per week for the remaining full weeks in June. I would like to go back to Body Pump – I am really missing it, so I hope to do that on Wednesday. I will go back to posting a workout summary every week – that way I know someone other than me is watching! It is so silly, but I really need a coach/cheerleader to feel motivated. I think this comes from years of having my dad right behind me in every endeavor – he never let me slack off. He also never failed to tell me how proud he was of my progress – it is a pretty good deal!
Published on Saturday, April 25th, 2009 by LisaDiane
And now I am going to pause from all the Singapore related news to note that President Obama has lovely manners…
During the election last fall we were asked over and over again to consider whether we would like to have a beer with the candidates. Well, here is a different twist… are the President’s manners up to your standards? Would you be embarrassed to have him dine at your table? or meet your friends?
Thanks to my mother and grandmother, and a love of my Emily Post Etiquette book (thanks Kat and Ross for giving me the new 17th edition), I place a high premium on manners. It seems that our president does as well. This is evident in an article entitled Mr. Manners: What Obama teaches us about Etiquette, which is in the 25 April 2009, edition of the Huffington Post. It is a series of pictures with commentary by Anna Post, Emily’s great-great granddaughter. I became aware of this article because of a link from Anna Post’s blog, What Would Emily Post Do.
Based exclusively on his manners (this is not a political comment), as represented in the slideshow on the Huffington Post website, I would be proud to include President Obama in my circle of friends. I hope that I can comport myself as well as he does, showing respect and courtesy to the people I encounter in my everyday life.
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